Without the momentum of a strong cold wind, it is difficult to cultivate the spirit of a small jade. "As the stars shift and time passes, in the blink of an eye, the" last stop "of the 24 solar terms in the lunar year of Jiachen - Dahan - is about to arrive. January 20, 2025 is the Great Cold Day. At this moment, the cold fields are vast, the sky is cold and the earth is cracked, the wind is howling with coldness, rivers and lakes are mostly covered with ice, hidden vitality sprouts in the frost, green pine and green cypress are strong and resilient, evergreen, and there seems to be a plum fragrance floating in the air. At this point, the solar terms have rotated once, ready to begin the cycle of the new year. The harsh winter is coming to an end, and spring has a return period. Around January 20th of each year in the Gregorian calendar, when the sun reaches 300 degrees longitude, the Great Cold arrives. It is the last solar term among the 24 solar terms, and also the turning point between the end of winter and the arrival of spring. Like Xiaohan, Dahan is also a solar term that indicates the degree of cold weather. The ancients said, 'The reverse extreme of coldness is called Great Cold,' where coolness is the beginning of coldness and coldness is the extreme of coldness. Cold is the extreme of coldness, and Great Cold is the limit of coldness - 'Those with Great Cold are so cold that there is no recurrence.'. Literally speaking, the Great Cold should be the coldest time of the year, during which cold waves, strong winds, and rainy and snowy weather often occur, accompanied by sustained low temperatures. Modern meteorological observation records indicate that in most parts of China, the Great Cold is not as cold as the Little Cold, so there used to be sayings such as "cold on March 9th" and "Little Cold triumphs over Great Cold". However, in some years and a few coastal areas, the lowest temperature of the year still occurs during the Great Cold solar term. Taking five days as one period, ancient people divided the Great Cold into three periods: the first period is when the chicken begins to milk; The second symptom is severe illness in birds; San Hou Shui Ze has a firm belly. At this time, the mother hen perceives the spring atmosphere and begins to hold eggs to breed chicks; Eagles, falcons, and other flying birds hover in the sky, their sharp gaze fixed on the earth, searching for new gains with their swift "skills"; If the "freezing" at the beginning of winter is like freezing on the skin, while the "freezing" during the Great Cold is like freezing into the belly - at this time, the ice freezes all the way to the center of the water and is thick and hard. In ancient times, it was a good time to harvest ice, and people began to chisel and store it for the following year. The extreme cold will gradually warm up in the future The Great Cold solar term is an important time for the transition between yin and yang throughout the year. At this time, the weather is extremely cold, but the extreme will reverse. When it freezes to the extreme, it also means that winter is coming to an end, and spring will emerge after the cold wears off - "The remaining snow is dripping with the ice bamboo shoots, and the new year sneaks back to the willow shoots". In the quiet world, the yang energy slowly rises, and under the hard ice layer, the spring water quietly sprouts, and the earth quietly warms up. The message of spring is already on the way. Huaxin, starting from Xiaohan, consists of plum blossoms, camellia, and narcissus; The three seasons of Huaxin in Dahan are: first season Ruixiang, second season Lanhua, and third season Shanfan. Every five days, they bloom one after another, either clear and lively, or with a delicate fragrance, becoming an inexhaustible source of inspiration for many literati and writers: "Can compete with plum blossoms, even in the face of cold, bloom into the snow" "Plum stamens are dark yellow as they pass through the snow, and orchid buds are light purple without leaving the cold" "Lingbo Fairy produces dust socks, walking lightly on the water with the moon" "Mountain alum is younger brother than plum"... The wisps of floral fragrance add infinite poetry to the cold winter, accompanying people towards another spring. The ancients said, 'The wise man's health preservation must be adapted to the four seasons of cold and heat.' As the saying goes, spring is born, summer is long, autumn is harvested, and winter is stored. However, for the great cold health preservation, we still need to focus on 'storage' Zhang Zongxue, Deputy Chief Physician of the Respiratory Department at Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine affiliated with Capital Medical University, introduced that "Zang" refers to not excessive consumption. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that at this time, the cold air in nature strikes people, and it is most vulnerable to heart wrenching kidney yang qi. People with physical weakness and old age may easily relapse or develop new illnesses if they are not careful. At this time, special attention should be paid to avoiding cold, warming yin, and nourishing yang. As the Chinese New Year approaches, there is a saying that goes, "Little Han is busy with buying and selling goods, while Big Han is about celebrating the New Year." As we enter the Great Han, the footsteps of the Lunar New Year are getting closer and closer. There is a folk saying that goes, "Big Han welcomes the New Year." People begin to prepare New Year goods and make New Year dishes, and the strong New Year flavor spreads throughout the streets and alleys On the day of the Great Cold, there has been a tradition of "eating glutinous rice" since ancient times, which refers to food made from glutinous rice. The most typical is Babaofan (Rice pudding with eight-delicious ingredients), which is steamed glutinous rice, mixed with sugar, oil and osmanthus, poured into a utensil containing red dates, job's tears, lotus seeds, longans and other fruit materials, and then poured with sugar brine after steaming. Babaofan (Rice pudding with eight-delicious ingredients) is colorful and sweet, symbolizing sweetness, festivity and auspiciousness. It is a good choice for festivals and hospitality. In Guangdong, people often use clay pots to steam glutinous rice during the cold season to nourish and keep warm. There is a custom of eating Xiaohan cake in Beijing and other places. Xiaohan cake is a type of rice cake made mainly of glutinous rice, with walnut kernels, red dates, longan meat, and other ingredients added. In ancient times, on the day of the Great Cold, the common people ate the "dispelling cold cake", which not only meant dispelling the cold, but also meant "high year", seeking good luck, peace every year, and steady progress. Glutinous rice is warm in nature and sweet in taste, with a higher sugar content than rice. After consumption, it warms the whole body and is beneficial for dispelling cold. It also has the effects of nourishing the middle and qi, warming and dispersing wind and cold, and moistening the lungs, spleen, and stomach Zhang Zongxue introduced that in order to resist severe cold and replenish vitality, one should eat less raw and cold foods at this time. Da Han is already around the fourth nine day of the lunar calendar. In Nanjing, the traditional "191 chicken" food custom is still highly praised by many families. Boil a pot of fresh and delicious chicken soup, either stewed alone or with ginseng, wolfberry, black fungus and other ingredients, and drink it warmly, driving away the coldness all over the body. During the severe cold season, the natural yang energy is transitioning from being stored in winter to rising in spring. People's diets should also adapt to this change, and they should be able to resist the cold while gradually reducing their intake Zhang Zongxue said that as the Great Cold Festival approaches the Spring Festival, every household will prepare rich festival food. At this time, attention should be paid to avoiding hunger and satiety disorders. It is advisable to eat some foods that have the effect of strengthening the spleen and eliminating stagnation, such as yam, hawthorn, grapefruit, chicken inner gold, etc. You can choose some warm and nourishing foods in daily life, such as glutinous rice, chestnuts, lamb, etc. You can also choose some flat and nourishing foods, such as lotus seeds, water chestnuts, chestnut kernels, red beans, jujube, Tremella fuciformis, etc., which can promote the increase of yang energy in the body. In addition, it is also advisable to eat more foods that can dispel wind and cold, such as radishes, onions, mustard greens, etc. In order to gradually adapt to the characteristics of spring relaxation and hair growth, it is also advisable to eat more vegetables such as cabbage, rapeseed, spinach, carrots, cauliflower, etc. Xiaohan and Dahan are periods of less rainfall throughout the year, so it is important to drink plenty of water in daily life Zhang Zongxue suggested that at this time, you can drink some black tea, black tea, ginger jujube tea, etc., which can have the effect of nourishing yang and qi. Among them, ginger jujube tea has the effects of warming the middle and dispelling cold, replenishing blood and regulating qi. Drinking it in moderation can promote blood vessel dilation, warm the body and dispel cold. After the Great Cold, it's another year. "With the arrival of the Great Cold, the year is getting closer day by day, and every household begins to" busy themselves with the New Year ": sweeping the dust, rushing to the New Year's market, preparing New Year's goods, placing new clothes, writing Spring Festival couplets... Everywhere is filled with a joyful and festive atmosphere. Every household paints its walls, sweeping away ominous signs During the Great Cold season, every household will engage in dust sweeping activities, also known as "cleaning up" or "sweeping away dust". People thoroughly clean their houses, removing garbage and unused items, symbolizing the end of the old and the beginning of the new year, bringing good luck and auspiciousness to the new year. In the old days, during the cold season, people would often rush to buy sesame straw on the streets. As the saying goes, "Sesame blossoms and grows taller every year." People used sesame straw as a metaphor for living higher and better every year. On New Year's Eve, people sprinkle sesame stalks in the yard, and children crush them with a crackling sound. People call it "stepping on the New Year", symbolizing peace throughout the year. These customs of begging for alms and seeking good luck make the meaning of the Great Cold driving away evil and welcoming good luck even stronger, expressing people's beautiful wishes for the New Year. During the Great Cold, I am in a state of three, four, and nine, walking on frozen ice in the cold weather During the Great Cold, the weather is cold, but people are full of enthusiasm for ice and snow sports. In ancient times, people in northern China had a hobby of ice play, and even today, this activity has remained enduring. Nowadays, the art of creative living still depends on the winter scenery of "Erbin" - the magnificent world of ice and snow under the night sky, with colorful lights reflecting the crystal clear ice sculptures like a dream, as if one were in a fairy tale like ice and snow kingdom. In the world of ice and snow, there is an open-air jumping event, a snow and ice carnival is held on the Songhua River, where visitors can enjoy large ice sculptures, play on super ice slides, go karts, and drift in snow circles... Ice and snow bring endless surprises and joy to people. During the cold season, appropriate exercise can help enhance the body's resistance and prevent the occurrence of diseases Zhang Zongxue suggested that different groups of people can choose different exercise methods according to their own situations, such as brisk walking, jogging, square dancing, Tai Chi, etc. are all good exercise methods. The intensity of exercise should be determined according to one's physical condition, and it is better to sweat slightly. Elderly people should not engage in overly intense activities, and be careful not to sweat profusely during exercise to prevent the leakage of yang energy. Great cold, great cold, windbreak and keep warm Zhang Zongxue reminds that during the Great Cold season, cold air is still frequent, which can easily trigger cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. To maintain health, one should keep the mind hidden inside and not expose it to the outside. People with weak constitution, chronic disease patients, and the elderly and weak need to pay special attention to cold prevention and warmth, and pay attention to the care of parts that are prone to cold such as the head and neck, chest and abdomen, waist and back, and soles of the feet, to avoid the invasion of wind and cold. You can keep some "spicy" and yang promoting seasonings at home, such as ginger, scallions, cilantro, perilla leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, etc., which are both medicinal and edible with a spicy and warm taste. When you feel cold for the first time, you can boil water or cook porridge with these ingredients to help relieve symptoms. Before going to bed, ginger, mugwort leaves, Sichuan peppercorns and other boiled water can also be used to soak feet, which can have the effect of dispelling cold and dampness, promoting blood circulation and unblocking collaterals. From the end of the year to the end of the year. After the Great Cold solar term, the Beginning of Spring solar term followed one after another. Thus, a new round of 24 solar terms repeats itself. As the Tang Dynasty poet Yuan Zhen once said, "Winter and spring alternate, but the stars, stars, and moon do not exist. In the Ming Dynasty, the new rules are changed, and plum blossoms and willows wait for the spring sun." The four seasons run in this way, starting and ending, endless. In the last solar term of the twenty-four solar terms, let's cross the cold together, embrace warmth, and welcome the arrival of the new year with a healthy body! (New Society)